Saints and Ancestors

October 30, 2025.

Depending on where you live, November can be a gloomy month. As a native British Columbian, I am accustomed to the low-lying cloud, mist and rain that can envelop Vancouver during this month. But other people I know really struggle in the fall, especially in this month with its changing weather.

It might be my imagination, but it’s not just the weather that transitions in November. It’s a month in which more people seem to transition to the other side of the veil.

This is supported by some liturgically-based Christian Churches that celebrate November as a month of remembrance. This long-held "remembering" tradition honours those who have died.

The month-long devotional practice provides opportunities to reflect on, be grateful for, and develop connections with those who have been helpful and inspirational in leading us to God, the Source of Love.

In the September 28, 2025 blog I invited you into a practice of developing a relationship with someone from the communion of saints. That is an angel, ancestor, or saint. I don’t know if you took the time to find, research, and spend time with this “other world helper.” But if not, and you are interested in doing this during the month of November, then you might consider returning to that blog: https://www.vancouverspiritualdirection.com/single-post/angels-saints-and-ancestors

Today, I’m inviting you to consider receiving blessings from people who have passed into the heavenly realm. That is, receiving assistance and guidance from the church-canonized saints, other people who have lived lives of love, integrity and justice, and the wise and well ancestors.

All of these, on their own and as a collective can provide powerful support for us, especially in difficult times, such as what we are going through in 2025.

People from the other side of the veil can be particularly helpful because they lived fully human lives. None was perfect, and they had their unique faults, idiosyncrasies and weaknesses.

Each one made mistakes and had her/his own struggles and difficulties, [1].

Many lived through times of upheaval and darkness and yet were still able to hold onto a relationship with the Holy. And they did their best, with the Spirit’s help, to live lives of love amidst all of it.

I believe that you wouldn’t be reading this blog if you weren’t trying to live a life of love and compassion during this chaotic time. So, you are well on your way to becoming a saint.

Even if you don't achieve "sainthood" you certainly will become an ancestor, which means that you have an important part in creating a better world for those who come after you, [2].

You, simply by living, will shape the future.

And with the help of the Holy, you will assist in bringing justice and compassion to the Earth and her future inhabitants.

It is my hope that the prayer in the video will allow you to receive blessings from both sides of the veil as you move forward to shape the world, [3].

1. Joyce Rupp, Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections for Every Season, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN, 2000, 32.

2. Kaitlin B. Curtice, Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God, Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, 2020, 92.

3. The prayer in the video is loosely based on The Blessing of the Saints in Joyce Rupp, Out of the Ordinary, 39-40.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.